Remains of amputee, 56, found in barrel floating on South Carolina lake: man, 25, faces charges

The remains of a 56-year-old amputee who went missing more than two weeks ago have been recovered – stuffed in a barrel found floating in a South Carolina lake.

Law enforcement in rural Cherokee County made the disturbing discovery around 1:45 p.m. ET Thursday, after being summoned to the 100-acre Lake Thicketty in the small town of Gaffney.

Deputies reportedly arrived on the scene to find the 42-gallon barrel floating near shore — and upon opening it discovered the body of 56-year-old Jeffrey Sutphin. On analysis of the corpse, a coroner confirmed that it had been confined for ‘a number’ of days.

After identifying the body, officials said they interviewed a person of interest — learning that Cherokee resident Sutphin, who was missing his right leg, was likely murdered somewhere in neighboring Spartanburg County, a short drive away.

Sutphin was reportedly last seen on June 15 in Chesnee, which spans both counties. Police have since made a single arrest following the grim find – Eric Shawn Fetzer, 25, charged with destruction, desecration or disposal of human remains.

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Police have since made a single arrest following the grim find – charging 25-year-old Eric Shawn Fetzer with destruction, desecration or disposal of human remains

“Deputies found the barrel near the shore and upon opening it they found human remains,” Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler wrote in a news release Friday, as investigative deputies said they expect more arrests in the coming days.

“It looks like the body had been in the container for several days.”

She added, “Since the discovery, investigators were able to confirm late Thursday that the death occurred in Spartanburg County.

“This morning I handed over the remains to the Spartanburg coroner, Rusty Clevenger, who will conduct the death investigation as directed.

“My office role will only be a recovery to help another agency.”

In an earlier update, Cherokee County police said they received a call to the scene at 1:45 p.m. ET, after which they found the missing man’s remains after pulling the partially submerged barrel ashore and pried it open.

Members of the Department of Natural Resources, Cherokee County Emergency Management, and Spartanburg County Emergency Management also assisted in the recovery.

After coming into possession of the body Friday, Spartanburg County coroner Rusty Clevenger wrote his own statement Saturday — a statement revealing that the corpse belonged to Sutphin and that officials suspected foul play in his death.

In it, Clevenger claimed that Sutphin was “brought to Cherokee County in an attempt to conceal the death.”

Law enforcement in rural Cherokee County made the disturbing discovery around 1:45 p.m. ET Thursday, after being summoned to the 100-acre Lake Thicketty in the small town of Gaffney.

After identifying the body, officials said they interviewed a person of interest — learning that Cherokee resident Sutphin was likely murdered somewhere in neighboring Spartanburg County, a short drive away.

Sutphin – who had a prosthetic right leg – was last seen in the early morning wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt, jeans, black shoes and a green ball as he left a business in Chesnee, which spans both counties.

Officials reportedly came to the conclusion after interviewing the person concerned, who has yet to be identified — and whose account was apparently sufficient for the case to be turned over to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office

Officials reportedly reached the conclusion after interviewing the person of interest, who has yet to be identified – and whose account was apparently sufficient to have the case transferred to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said they expect more arrests soon after deputies in Cherokee detained Feltzer, 25, following the aforementioned interview.

Prior to that arrest, Cherokee Sheriff Steve Mueller described his department’s ongoing efforts to help Spartanburg County deputies find the perpetrator or perpetrators responsible.

He said Friday: “We have about four detectives still working at this point to track down some leads and some information about this case.

“It’s part of an ongoing investigation that has led us to that area to search for human remains.”

He went on to add about the probe’s success so far: “It’s developing quite well.”

“Deputies found the barrel near the shore and upon opening it they found human remains,” Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler wrote in a press release Friday, as investigative deputies said they expect more arrests in the coming days.

“It appears the body had been in the container for several days,” officials said after the discovery at the South Carolina lake

Officials have not released any other details about his disappearance, nor about the ongoing investigation, or whether his death is being treated as homicide. The police investigation is still ongoing on Sunday

As for Sutphin, not much is known about the deceased – apart from the fact that a massive search of his home had taken place since he was reported missing on June 15, after leaving a business on Rutherfordton Highway around 8am on June 4. pm ET.

Friends or relatives presumably reported that the victim – who, according to acquaintances, was using a prosthetic right leg – was reported missing after more than a week without a word.

Officials have not released any other details about his disappearance, nor about the ongoing investigation, or whether his death is being treated as homicide.

The car Sutphin was driving in when he was last seen – a gold 2006 Jeep Liberty – has yet to be recovered. The police investigation is still ongoing on Sunday.